Pottery machine



Aug. 17,1926. f 1,596,059

. C. E. MANSIR POTTERY MACHINE Filed Nov. 20, 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 17 1926.

Filed Nov. 20, 1923 c. E. MAN SIR POTTERY MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 17, 1926.

C. E MANSIR POTTERY MACHINE Filed Nov. 20-, 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Aug. 17, 1926; 1,596,059

C. E. MANSIR POTTERY MACHINE Filed Nov. '20 1923 .5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Aug. 17,1926. I 1,596,059

C. E. MANSIR POTTERY MACHINE Filed Nov. 2 0, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet s jarzl$7 [@6721 Whi x i p Patented Aug. 17, 1926 ueuran STATES PATENT OFFICE.

cmrronnn. ansrn, or CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR To A. :Lnnws &

00., INCORPORATED, or oAMBRrnc-E, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA- CHUSETTS.

POTTERY MACHINE.

Application filed November 20,1923. Serial No. 675,810.

This invention relates to machines for making pottery and is concerned more especially with the dies and forming mem bers by which pottery of shapes which heretofore it has been necessary to form partly, at least, by hand, may be easily eflected by machine. Thus pottery having internal dimensions of greater diameter than portions nearer to the. throat of the article may be successfully formed entirely bymachine and the forming members freed therefrom at the completion of the forming'operation. For this purpose the mold which determines the external contour of the desiredarticle is made sectional so that it may be opened to permitthe finished article to be removed, andthe formingplunger for shaping the inner contour ofthe article is caused to expand to form the article and then to contract so that it may'beremovedtherefrom after the article has been formed.

Fora more complete understanding of this invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine.

Figure 2 is a front elevation thereof;

Figures 3 and 4 are side elevationsat right angles to each other of the. forming plunger.

Figure 5 is an inverted plan of the same.

Figure 6 is a central vertical cross section through the mold and plunger showing the clay formed therebetween.

Figure 7 is a similar view showing a different shaped article.

Figure 8 is a section showing the positions of the parts corresponding to Figure 6 after the article has been finished.

Referring first to Figures '1 and 2, 1 indicates a supporting post or standard arranged to carry the operative portions of the machine. Near its upper end are positioned in Vertical alinement three bearing pedestals 2, 3 and 4 in which is journaled a vertical shaft 5 having a belt pulley. 6 thereon by which it may be rotated. The lower end of this shaft 5 is provided with an enlarged head 7 internally screw threaded for the reception'o'f a shank 8 of theforming plunger which will later be described.

Near the lower end of the post 1 on each side is fixed a bracket '10 and between the Y brackets and beneath the shaft 5 is mounted for vertical sliding movement a t l 11.

This table has a pedestal portion 12 which rides against a roller 13 journaled in a bearing 14 fixed to the forward face of the post 1. A rod 141 passes vertically through the pedestal and table and its lower end is enlarged and threaded as at 15 so that it may be vertically adjustable in a mating threaded opening in a bracket 16 carried by the post 1. At the top of the enlarged portion is an abutment plate 17 with which the lower end of the pedestal may contact to limit its downward movement. The upper end of this rod 141 carries a similar abutment table 18 for a purpose which will later be described. The rod 141 is thus stationary While the table is allowed to move up and down thereon.

For the purpose of raising the table the following mechanism has been designed. At 20 is shown a lever fulcrumed at 21 in a bracket 22 extending rearwardly from the post 1. The forward end of this lever is formed with a treadle portion 23. A chain 24 is fixed to this lever and passes about a rolling cam member 25 through an eye. 26 fixed to one end thereof and then down to the lower portion of the table pedestal as at 27. This rolling cam is fixed to a shaft 28 which carries at its ends flanged rollers 29 which ride on rails 30 forming the upper downwardly and rearwardly inclined edges of brackets 31 fixed to the brackets 10. The rocking cam is so proportioned that as the treadle 23 is depressed the table is drawn upwardly vertically, without any horizontal component, in the direction of pull of the chain. A spring 300 reacts between a link 310 having its lower end engaging in one of a series of grooves 32 in the lower edge of the lever 20 and a rod 33 adjustably fixed as by a nut 34 threaded on the upper end thereof ina bracket 35 extending from the rear face of the post 1.

This spring, therefore, acts to normally hold the treadle raised, thus permitting the table to lower.

The tablehas a pair of spaced supporting posts. thereon arranged to support a ring member 41. This ring member as shown is provided with a guide portion 42 slidable on a guide block 43 projecting from the forward face of the post 1 and forwardly thereof is shaped to engage the mold ections 45. Which ar s w r n d ta ures 6, 7 and 8. As shown there are two such sections, though more might be em ployed should it be found desirable. These sections when assembled have an internal faceof the ring member 41 and the portions of the sections immediately below this flange member are formed of .a diameter to fit within the. ring as shown at 47. Below the ring these sections are inwardly tapered as shown at 4:8 and where they abut in a line intersecting the axis of the ring member they are oppositely beveled as shown at 19 so that they meet each other at the inner surface of the mold along an edge 50.. Depending from the flange member 4:6 are guide pins ol which pass loosely through apertures 52 in the ring member 41 and depending from the lower face of each section is one or more pins these being positioned closely adjacent the beveled portions/i9. These pins 53 are positioned immediately above the abutment plate 18 and when out of contact therewith the sections are in operative position defining by their inner surfaces the contour of the article which it. is desired to be made. A hook member 55 pivoted to the post 1 may be moved toengage beneath the ring member ll to hold the parts in this position. v

in this position of the parts, the plunger not being within the mold, alump of clay or other plastic to be molded is placed therein, and the table is raised by depressing the treadle 23 until the. molding plunger enters therein. This molding plunger is shown more particularly in Figures 3 to 8 inclusive. The threaded shank 8 of this phuiger is a portion of .a shaft 60 at the lower end of which is fixed a plate 61 to the upper face of which are liked apair of parallel spaced guide pieces 62. Spaced above the plate 61 is a guide pin 63 whlch extends through the shaft 60 in parallel relation to the plate 61. This plate 61, the members 62 and the pin 63. form guides for the slidable reception of molding members 65. The outer faces of these molding members are shaped to conform to the inner face of the desired article, as shown at 66, and they are movable radially of the axis of the shaft 60 so as to expand or contract the plunger. For this purpose they are shown as connected together by toggle links 67 and 68, each link being pivoted as at 69 to one of the plunger members and to each other at 70. To each pivot 70 is fixed the lower end of a link 71, the upper end of which is pivoted as at 72, to a collar 73 slidable axially of the shaft 60. This collar, as shown, comprises a pair of sections 74: engageable with opposite sides of the shaft 60 and made "fast to each other by means of screws 75 passed through mating cars 76 of the two sections. Reacting between the colla 73 and the pin is a coil spring 80 which acts to hold thecollar For the purpose of depressing the collar 73, a lever .is shown, one end of which is fulcr'umed at 86 to :a bracket 87 fixed to the forward face of the post 1 (see Figure 1).. The outer end of this lever is connected by a pull rod 88 having a turn buckle 89 by which its effective length may be adjusted. The lower end of this rod 88 is formed with a loop 90 which engages over .a pin 91 projecting from the lever 20. This construction provides a lost motion connection between the levers, the pin riding the length of the loop 90 as the treadle is depressed before the lever 85 is depressed. By this means the table carrying the mold is-caused to rise until the plunger enters into the mold and presses the plastic material therein to some extent. Further depression of the treadl-e until the ring member 41 contacts and .is stopped by an adjustable stop ring 97 positioned thereabove then causes the plunger to pass further into the'mold and at the same time causes the molding members carried by the plunger to separate or expand so as to press the plastic material against the side walls of the mold as the plunger is rotated by the rotation of the shaft 5.. The plastic material is thus made to conform to the inner face of the mold and the outer configuration of the molding members of the plunger shapes the internal face of the article. When this action has been completed, the treadle is allowed to rise, permitting the molding members of the plunger to retract as the table lowers, and effecting the withdrawal of the plunger from the mold. As the table is then permitted to move to its lowest position, the pins 53 on the mold sections impinge on the abutment plate 18, causing the mold sections to be raised up until they are removed from within the ring member 4:1. As soon as this has been accomplished the mold section's tilt outwardly as shown in Figure 8, thus causing the article molded to become disengaged from the inner faces of the mold so that it can be readily removed. The relative posi tions of the plunger, molding members and the mold sections when this occurs are indi escapes cated in Figure 8 the plunger sections having .been retracted as shown in full lines, and the mold sections tilted outwardly to release the article.

By this means it is seen that mechamsm has been provided by which articles which have a larger outside diameter both externally and internally below their upper open ends than at some points above and nearer these open ends may be successfully molded by machine, the molding plunger being so formed that it may be expanded and contracted, its contracted position permitting it to be passed into and out of the article and its expanded position being effective to mold the internal contour of the article as desired, and that when the molding has been completed and the plunger removed the mold sections are automatically opened to permit the article to be removed therefrom.

Two different shapes of articles have been herein illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, in

Figure 6 the walls of the article being inturned adjacent their upper edges, as at 95, while in Figure 7 these walls are again turned outwardly as at 96 below the open top thereof.

Having thus described certain embodiments of this invention it should be evident to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications might be made therein without departing from its spirit or scope as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the class described, a mold, an expansible plunger, means for relatively moving said mold and plunger actuable to cause said plunger to enter into said mold and then to expand said plunger into cooperative relation to the inner wall of said mold, and means for relatively rotating said mold and plunger.

2. In a molding machine, a forming plunger comprising radially movable forming members, means normally holding said members inwardly, means for moving said members outwardly, and means for guiding said members during their radial movement.

3. In a machine of the class described, a forming plunger comprising, a shaft, guide members spaced axially of said shaft, forming members movable between said guide members radially of said shaft, toggle links connecting said forming members, a collar slidable axially of said shaft, links connecting said collar and toggle links whereby sliding of said collar acts to move said members radially toward and from each other, a spring surrounding said shaft and urging said collar in a direction to retain said forming members toward each other, and means for sliding said collar in opposition to said spring to move said forming members away from each other to expand said plunger.

4. In a molding machine, a hollow mold,

a forming plunger relatively movable axially into and out of said mold, said plunger comprising radially movable forming members, means normally urging said members to their inner limits of motion, means actuable after said plunger has entered said mold a predetermined amount for moving said members outwardly, and means for guiding said members during their-axial movement. I

5. In a molding machine, a' reciprocable hollow mold, a rotary expansible forming plunger movable into and out of said mold on reciprocation thereof, means for reciproeating said mold, and means acting automatically when said plunger is within said mold to a predetermined distance for expanding said plunger.

6. In a molding machine, a reciprocable hollow mold, means for reciprocating said mold, a rotary forming plunger movable into and out of said mold on reciprocation thereof, said plunger having radially movable forming members, links connecting said members, a member reciprocable axially of said plunger and connected to said links whereby reciprocation thereof acts to move said members radially in and out, a spring urging said reciprocable member to retain said plunger members in, and a lost motion connection between said reciprocating means and said reciprocable member acting to urge said plunger members outwardly when said plunger has entered said mold to a predetermined extent.

7. In a molding machine, a mold comprising sections abutting each other substantially centrally of the axis of an article to be molded therein, means for holding said sections in assembled relation, and means for relatively rocking said sections at their abutting portions in a manner to free therefrom an article molded therein.

8. In a molding machine, a mold comprising sections' abutting substantially in the axis of an article to be molded therein, a ring member in which said sections may be supported in assembled relation, and means for pushing the central portions of said sections through said ring member to rock them relatively in a direction to free the molded article therefrom.

9. In a molding machine, a mold comprising a plurality of sections, the sections when assembled presenting an outwardly extending marginal flange, a ring member within which said sections may extend, said flange resting on the upper face of said ring member, pins extending downwardly from the flange portions of the sections into openings in said ring member, pins extending downwardly from said sections adja cent their contacting portions substantially axially of said ring member, and a member relatively movable against said last mentioned pins and acting to tilt said sections relatively outwardly as it moves said sections through said ring member to release a molded article from said sections.

10. In a molding machine, an expansible and contractilole forming plunger, a sectional mold, means to retain the sections of: said mold assembled, means to raise said assembled sect-ions toward said plunger to cause said plunger to enter said mold and impinge on a plastic mass therein, means acting after a predetermined extent of raismotion of said mold to expand said plunger to shape the plastic to the lnterior of said mold and form an article, means acting on the lowering of said mold to con- 15 tract said plunger, and means acting on the further lowering of said mold to open said sections to tree the article therefrom.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

CLIFFORD E. MANSIR. 

